OAKLAND – The Celtics want to forever be like they were Tuesday night. They defended with cohesion and cut sharply for baskets. They recorded a season-high in assists and stomped on the defending champion Warriors from the tip. They responded to every run and appeared to enjoy every aspect of the 33-point road win.

Though injured star Klay Thompson didn’t play for the Warriors, the Celtics left Oracle Arena holding a shiny example of what they can be. Did they find their spirit again for good? Who knows, but after a tumultuous stretch over the last couple of weeks, they savored reconnecting with their best selves. They have been a bad road team, but handed the Warriors the most lopsided Oracle loss of the Steve Kerr era. This maddening, inconsistent bunch overcame all the recent drama to deliver a masterpiece.

“This was huge for us on multiple levels,” Marcus Smart said of the 128-95 conquest. “We got to see what our potential is when we go out to play the...